Kniphofia plant named &#39;High Roller&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Red Hot Poker plant named Kniphofia ‘High Roller’ with long, gracefully-arching, strap-like, keeled, glaucous, gray-green foliage and numerous scapes. Habit is densely growing, winter-hardy, tolerant of heat, deer and rabbits. Numerous scapes of deep coral-orange flower buds that open to near white on tall scapes beginning in the first week of summer and repeating into early August. The new plant is useful for landscaping as a specimen, en masse, or as a long-lasting cut flower.

Botanical classification: Kniphofia hybrid.

Variety denomination: ‘High Roller’.

STATEMENT REGARDING PRIOR DISCLOSURES UNDER 37 CFR 1.77(b)(6)

The first public disclosure of the claimed plant, in the form of aphotograph and brief description was on a website operated by WaltersGardens, Inc. on Feb. 1, 2018. After that, on May 21, 2018 the claimedplant was sold by Walters Gardens, Inc., who obtained the plant and allinformation relating thereto, from the inventor. No plants of Kniphofia‘High Roller’ have been sold in this country or anywhere in the world,nor has any disclosure of the new plant been made, more than one yearprior the filing date of this application, and such sale or disclosurewithin one year was either derived directly or indirectly from theinventor.

BACKGROUND AND ORIGIN OF THE PLANT

The present invention relates to the new and distinct Red Hot Poker,Kniphofia ‘High Roller’ hybridized under the direction of the inventorat a wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich., USA on Aug. 16, 2012and harvested later in the fall of 2012. The new plant was a singleseedling selection resulting from a cross of ‘Echo Mango’ U.S. PlantPat. No. 21,706 as the female parent or seed parent and ‘Sally's Comet’(not patented) as the male parent or pollen parent The plant passedinitial evaluation in the summer of 2014 and was subsequently given thebreeder code 12-3-4 prior to naming. Kniphofia ‘High Roller’ has beensuccessfully asexually propagated by division method since 2014 at thesame wholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. and subsequently byshoot tip tissue culture, and both methods have been found to be stableand produce identical plants that maintain the unique characteristics ofthe original plant through multiple generations.

SUMMARY OF THE PLANT

Kniphofia ‘High Roller’ differs from its parents as well as all otherKniphofia known to the applicant. The most similar known Kniphofiacultivars are: the female parent ‘Echo Mango’, ‘Orange Vanilla Popsicle’U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,292 and ‘Red Hot Popsicle’ U.S. Plant Pat. No.24,036. ‘Orange Vanilla Popsicle’ is much shorter in scape and foliageheight with fewer flowers per stem. ‘Red Hot Popsicle’ is significantlyshorter in scape and foliage height with fewer flowers per stem thatstay the same reddish color in bud and open flower. ‘Sally's Comet’ istaller and has flowers that are nearly green in bud and open to brightyellow. ‘Echo Mango’ has flowers that are more yellowish-orange in budand yellow in flower color.

Kniphofia ‘High Roller’ differs from these above cultivars and allcultivars known to the inventor in that it has:

1. Gracefully arching, strap-like, keeled, gray-green foliage.

2. Rapidly growing, dense habit, winter-hardy, heat tolerant, rabbit anddeer tolerant, large-sized clumps.

3. Numerous spikes of deep coral-orange flower buds that open to nearwhite tepals on tall stems;

4. Flowering beginning the first week of summer and repeating into earlyAugust in Michigan.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of Kniphofia ‘High Roller’ demonstrate the overallappearance of the plant, including the unique traits. The plants werefive-year-old growing in a full-sun trial garden. The colors are asaccurate as reasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient lightspectrum, source and direction may cause the appearance of minorvariation in color.

FIG. 1 shows the side-view habit of a five-year-old plant in midseasonflowering.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flowers and buds.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following descriptions and color references are based on the 2015edition of The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart except wherecommon dictionary terms are used. The new plant, Kniphofia ‘HighRoller’, has not been observed under all possible environments. Thephenotype may vary slightly with different environmental conditions,such as temperature, light, fertility, moisture and maturity levels, butwithout any change in the genotype. The following observations and sizedescriptions are of a five-year-old plant in a trial garden of awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. under full sun withsupplemental water and fertilizer as needed.

-   Botanical classification: Kniphofia hybrid;-   Parentage: Kniphofia ‘Echo Mango’ as the female or seed parent and    ‘Sally's Comet’ as the male or pollen parent;-   Propagation method: By garden division of the rhizome and later    shoot tip tissue culture;-   Growth rate: Vigorous, flowering in 3.5 liter containers in about 10    to 12 weeks from a tissue culture 25 mm plug liner in late winter to    spring and from a one-year-old bare root plant to flowering in 6 to    8 weeks in a 4.0 liter container;-   Rooting habit: Fibrous from base of rhizomes, lightly branching;    color nearest RHS 158C;-   Plant description: Dense, rhizomatous, acaulescent, perennial clump    with long thin foliage to about 108.0 cm across and about 97.0 cm    tall; flowering to about 114.0 cm tall; about 62 peduncles per    plant;-   Leaves: Linear; keeled at base, triangular in distal half; arranged    about 8 leaves per basal division; apex narrowly acute; base    truncate, clasping; margin and keeled abaxial midrib micro-dentate;    no fragrance observed;-   Leaf size: To about 99.0 cm long and 25.0 mm across at base, average    about 87.0 cm long and 20.0 mm across at base;-   Leaf color: Young base nearest RHS NN155A both abaxial and adaxial,    distally between RHS 144A and RHS 138A both abaxial and adaxial;    mature both surfaces between RHS 144A and RHS 138A;-   Leaf venation: Parallel; color same as leaf abaxial and adaxial,    between RHS 144A and RHS 138A;-   Stem: Acaulescent; rhizome about 18.0 mm across at base;-   Inflorescence: In spike-like raceme; terete; about 300 flowers per    stem; flowering portion to about 34.0 cm tall and about 7.0 cm    across; lasting about three weeks; flower spacing less than 1.0 mm    apart on raceme in distal region and about 2.5 cm in lowest flowers;-   Peduncle: Terete; glabrous; glaucous; solid, not fistulose; to about    114.0 cm long and 9.0 mm diameter; average 102.0 cm tall and 8.5 mm    diameter; flowering in distal 34.0 cm;-   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 146D;-   Buds one day prior to anthesis: Ellipsoidal to tubular with swollen    subacute apex and rounded base; glabrous; lustrous; about 24.0 mm    long and about 3.5 mm diameter at base and 5.0 mm diameter at widest    point near apex;-   Bud attitude: Beginning outwardly and drooping as maturing toward    anthesis;-   Bud color on day prior to anthesis: Abaxial distal and dorsal    portions RHS 155A with ventral midrib nearest RHS 169D and dorsal    midrib nearest RHS 171B;-   Buds five days prior to anthesis: Shape size 17.0 mm long, 3.5 mm    diameter in middle and 2.5 mm diameter at base; color between RHS    178C and RHS 145A on ventral tepals and between RHS 167D and RHS    165A on dorsal tepals;-   Flowers: Terete; six tepals forming tubular corolla; perfect;    actinomorphic; individually open and effective about three to four    days;-   Corolla size: To about 23.5 mm long, fused in basal about 19.0 mm;    face to about 7.0 mm tall and about 7.0 mm wide; tube about 3.5 mm    diameter near base and about 5.0 mm near throat;-   Flower attitude: Drooping;-   Flower fragrance: None detected;-   Flowering period: Individual racemes effective for about 3 weeks;    beginning in early summer Michigan for about six week, then    continuing with repeat racemes until early fall with a short two    week break in the heat of the summer;-   Tepals: Six, in two identical sets of three; both sets with acute    apices and fused in basal 19.0 mm forming a long tube, and divided    in distal 4.5 mm; margin entire; glabrous and lustrous abaxial and    adaxial; about 23.5 mm long and about 3.0 mm across just above    fusion point;-   Tepal color (young abaxial): Nearest RHS 8A; (young adaxial):    between RHS 165C and RHS 160B with midrib nearest 155B;-   Tepal color (mature abaxial): Nearest RHS 155C with midribs nearest    RHS 150C; (mature adaxial): nearest RHS NN155D with midrib nearest    150C;-   Androecium: Six; variable lengths, with filament lengths between    24.0 mm and 29.0 mm;    -   -   Filaments.—Six; exserted; terete; glabrous; lustrous; from            about 24.0 to 29.0 mm long and about 0.5 mm diameter; color            nearest RHS NN155B.        -   Anther.—Slightly flattened ellipsoidal; flattened ventrally            to dorsally; about 2.0 mm long and 1.5 mm across and 1.0 mm            thick; dorsifixed; longitudinal; color nearest RHS 13B.        -   Pollen.—Abundant: color nearest RHS 11C.-   Gynoecium: Single; about 26.0 mm long;    -   -   Style.—Terete; glabrous; lustrous; about 23.0 mm long and            0.7 mm diameter: color more white than RHS 23D.        -   Stigma.—Flattened, round; about 0.3 mm across; color nearest            RHS NN155A.        -   Ovary.—Superior; globose; acute apex, rounded base; about            2.5 mm long and 2.5 mm diameter; color nearest RHS 146C.-   Pedicel: Cylindrical; glabrous; lustrous; stiff; drooping; about 1.7    mm long and about 0.5 mm diameter;-   Pedicel color: One day prior to opening nearest RHS 178B, one day    prior to opening nearest RHS 173C, four days after opening nearest    RHS 146D;-   Bracts: Hyaline; lanceolate; at cauline nodes and subtending    individual flowers; with acute apices and truncate base; to about    5.0 mm long and 2.0 mm across at base; decreasing distally; average    about 4.0 mm long and 1.5 mm across; color blushed with nearest RHS    161D;-   Fruit: Tri-valved loculicidal capsule; globose; about 7.0 mm long    and 6.0 mm diameter; glabrous; with rounded apex and rounded base;    typically six to nine seeded; color upon maturity nearest RHS 200A;-   Seed: Irregular with angular sides, acute apex and base; about 3.5    mm long and 2.5 mm across; color nearest RHS 200A;-   Disease and pest resistance: ‘High Roller’ shows limited    susceptibility to rust. There are many genera of pathogenic rust,    but the specific identification of the slight rust found on the new    plant has not been identified and is not known by the inventor.    Resistance beyond that of other Kniphofia has not been observed. The    plant grows best with good drainage and is able to tolerate some    heat when established. Hardiness at least from USDA zone 6 through 9    and 5b with protection.

I claim:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Red Hot Poker plant namedKniphofia ‘High Roller’ as herein described and illustrated.